Guided tours for schools

What is Islamic art?

What is Islamic art? This tour gives you an exciting introduction to the impressive history of Islamic art, from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the 19th century.

You’ll learn about the religious “prohibition against images” and the classical forms of decoration used in art. And you’ll see works of art in the countries from Spain to India where Islam dominated throughout the ages.

Teaching on all tours is conducted at the level of the pupils. Questions relevant to the area of focus of the classes/groups are most welcome, before, during, and after the visit.

Click on the button “SELECTEDWORKS OF ART” to see the works from this tour. Instructional material: PDF.

Miniature from a copy of al-Sarai’s Nahj al-Faradis (The Paths of Paradise). “The Prophet Muhammad Encounters the Angel of Prayer as a White Cockerel” (recto)

Iran, Herat; c. 1465
Leaf: 41.2 × 29.8 cm

The David Collection owns four leaves with seven paintings from a hitherto virtually unknown manuscript commissioned by the Timurid ruler Abu Said (r. 1451-1469). The manuscript deals with the Prophet Muhammad’s mystical ascension to heaven, miraj, which began in Jerusalem and took him to both Paradise and Hell.

Muhammad made the ascension on Buraq, a winged creature that is most often shown with a horse-like body and a woman’s face. He was accompanied on his journey by the archangel Gabriel (Jibril).

On the left of the miniature is a gigantic white cock, which is so large that its head reaches God’s throne and its feet rest on the earth. The artist sought to illustrate its size by letting the cock’s legs and tail extend past the picture frame. Muhammad, who in this and a number of other contemporary manuscripts is shown without a veil covering his face, turns with an inquisitive gesture to Gabriel, who explains that the cock is the angel that keeps track of time and calls the faithful to prayer.